Chapter 3

In the darkness, I dreamed.

I was running through an endless night, but no matter how fast I ran, I couldn't find the light. Shadowy hands clawed at me from every direction, pulling me down.

I jolted awake, drenched in sweat.

Damien was slumped at my bedside, gripping my hand, murmuring my name over and over.

For a disorienting moment, it felt like seven years ago — when I'd been hospitalized and he'd stayed by my side all night.

He felt me stir and snapped upright, his worry easing slightly when he saw my eyes open.

"Elena. You're awake."

His voice was gentle. He reached for my hand. "You have no idea how worried I was."

Beneath the blankets, my fists clenched. The disgust I felt toward this man had reached its peak.

How could he do this to me, then sit there looking concerned?

I pulled my hand away and turned my face from him.

His smile froze, but he recovered quickly. "I panicked. It was reckless. But you know — Vivian saved my life. She saved me, Elena. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't be standing before me now. As a Luna, do you not know how to repay a debt of gratitude?"

Repaying a debt — or being blinded by lust?

The lipstick stains on his shirt collar were still there. Whatever they'd done while I was unconscious was obvious enough.

"When you lost your memory, she filled the role of your mate," I said evenly. "In a way, she was your mate. Of course you should care about her."

He stared at me, thrown. My understanding hadn't brought him relief — only a strange ache.

"Let's dissolve the mate bond, Damien. I can't share my mate with another woman. If one of us has to go, I'd rather it be me."

I said it with a straight face, hoping for the answer I needed.

Instead, he laughed.

I didn't see what was funny about any of this.

He pulled me into his arms, pressing my head against his shoulder. "You're adorable when you're mad, you know that?"

"I'm not—"

"I know what you're thinking. You want me all to yourself, right? Relax — what I have with Vivian is gratitude, not love. You're the one I want. Once she has the pup safely, I'll cut things off. So no more talk about dissolving our bond, okay?"

In his eyes, my feelings didn't matter. My earnest pleas were just "tantrums" and "acting out."

His phone rang — Vivian's ringtone, the one I recognized instantly.

He answered, his expression melting into tenderness. Then he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

"Elena, Vivian knows she was wrong to accuse you without proof. I'll make sure she comes to apologize."

He left before I could respond. Just like that — gone, leaving me alone in the hospital room.

The day I was discharged, I took a cab home by myself.

Passing the pack altar, I told the driver to stop and got out.

Beyond the altar lay a sculpture garden — every Alpha and Luna pair in the pack's history had their likeness here.

I walked to the very last one and looked up at our faces.

Damien had carved this himself. He'd said no sculptor could capture a tenth of my beauty, so he had to do it with his own hands. He'd practiced for months, slicing his fingers open again and again, failing and starting over. Even with bandages wrapped around all ten fingers, he wouldn't quit.

When it was finally finished, he'd picked me up and spun me around, barely able to contain himself.

I'd cried when I saw it.

Now the sculpture was neglected, covered in scratched graffiti — "die," "disgusting," and worse.

None of that bothered me anymore. But the sight of it — of us — was unbearable.

I shoved the sculpture off its pedestal. Our faces shattered against the ground.

Every memory of him disgusted me.

When I got home, Vivian was sitting on my couch. Wearing my clothes.

"Luna, you're back! Is my being here making you uncomfortable? Maybe I should go."

She squeezed out a few tears. Damien's heart melted on cue. He wrapped an arm around her and opened his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it.

"No need. If this is Damien's home, it's yours too. Make yourself comfortable."

The words died in his throat. Watching me stand there, utterly expressionless, the unease in his chest grew.

It was as if... as if I truly didn't love him anymore.

He forced the thought away. She's just being mature about it, he told himself.

Then his phone rang. He rushed outside to take the call. I caught only one sentence from the other end:

"Alpha, the Moonlit Forest Resort is booked. When should we expect you and the Luna?"